Legendary producer Timbaland went in-depth about his struggles with addiction and depression in a new Rolling Stone profile. In addition to revealing that he’s finished work on Justin Timberlake‘s upcoming album, Timberland said that he once nearly overdosed on OxyContin, which the 45-year-old said he started taking in his 30s because of lingering nerve damage from a gunshot wound he suffered as a teen. From Rolling Stone:
He eventually did suffer what he believes to be a near-death overdose while sleeping three years ago. “All I can tell you is that there was a light,” he says. “I woke up trying to catch my breath, like I was underwater. But through that whole thing I saw life – I saw where I would be if I don’t change, and where I could be if I did.”
Timbaland’s girlfriend Michelle told Rolling Stone that she feared he was going to die in his sleep. “It was so bad, to the point where I couldn’t even sleep…I’d put my hand right by his nose, just to see if he was still breathing.”
Read the interview in full at Rolling Stone. Timbaland also said he was working on a solo album that will feature collaborations from Zayn Malik, Timberlake, and Rick Ross. His last solo LP, Shock Value II, dropped in 2009.
